David deForest Keys is the CEO of 3PS Partners, Inc. The firm creates software for continuing medical education and has offices in New York, London and India. The company was founded in 2008 and presently employs over 25 employees. Its specialties are e-learning models and educational software and technology.

David believes that there are few limits on the opportunities and advantages offered by the expanding e-learning platform. Particularly in the field of medical continuing education, e-learning has a promising future.

Every state has its own continuing education requirements for physicians, nurses, dentists and other healthcare professionals. These medical pros have extremely busy schedules. Online continuing education options offer them the opportunity to fulfill licensure requirements efficiently and conveniently.

Many healthcare professionals worry that online continuing education modules won't really expand and enhance their learning. Through Case-Builder, 3PS Partners Inc's interactive platform, medical education providers can create compelling continuing education presentations. The software also contains analytics that allow course designers to see which parts of a presentation have the greatest impact. This feedback is valuable when it comes time to update old course information or design new curricula.

David and his 3PS Partners, Inc. team have designed a product that offers a powerful platform for continuing education. Education providers can program modules, case studies and other engaging and effective training content. David deForest Keys plays an integral leadership role in this dynamic company as it provides innovative solutions in the healthcare field.

David deForest Keys is fundamentally an entrepreneur. In 1998, a few years after his graduation from Boston University, David joined a company called Wide Learning.

Wide Learning was a pioneer in supplying e-learning services to industries in the financial sector. While working at Wide Learning, David developed platforms for major financial companies including Merrill Lynch, HSBC and Fidelity Investments.

David deForest Keys notes that the most effective Internet learning solutions have been those that allow users to explore content on their own. Instead of offering a tightly structured module, this approach invites individuals to learn information in the order that they choose. They also have the option of moving through content modules at a pace that is comfortable for them.

E-learning has many practical uses in the financial sector. It can be used as a training technique for people working in financial industries. The 2008 recession brought tightened scrutiny for the entire sector. E-learning can be used to implement regulatory and compliance training. It can also be used to impart basic skill sets needed for professionals working within financial fields.

Internet learning modules can be used to introduce consumers to credit and money management skills. Consumers can be provided with online tools like worksheets, budget trackers and tip sheets.

David recognized that, when implemented properly, e-learning could significantly cut operational costs. After all, it costs the same to design an e-learning module for 10 students as it does to design one for 10,000. Students would save money by accessing learning materials from their own homes, and they wouldn’t have to incur any traveling costs to attend classes.

David deForest Keys acknowledged the up-front costs involved in developing an online curriculum. However, he identified that these operational costs were positioned for a significant return on investment.

E-learning classes aimed at employees of the financial sector can be accessed through a number of different mediums. Prospective students can connect through self-paced online courses, video conferencing or even virtual classrooms. They can also access materials over company Intranets through Web-based software.

What Does It Take to Found a Company?

Wide Learning awakened David DeForest Keys to the potentials offered by e-learning in a variety of circumstances. He decided to use the skills and knowledge he had gained in to start his own company. That company became ClearPoint Learning Systems, an e-learning business targeting pharmaceutical professionals.

What does it take to start a business? With significant risks but an equal number of major advantages, entrepreneurs have an opportunity to use their proclivity for self-motivation to fuel extensive professional successes.

Not every business professional is cut out for a career as a self-made entrepreneur. As David notes, successful entrepreneurs exhibit these qualities:

• Independent: A recent study from the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research found that independence is a predictor of self-employment. Over 67 percent of American entrepreneurs say that being their own boss was the motivating factor behind creating their business.

• Have a higher than normal tolerance for risk: The prospect of failure and bankruptcy is enough to deter the vast majority of people from going into business. A huge number of new companies do go under, so entrepreneurs must be both savvy and well aware of the risks.

David has identified multiple techniques for building up your tolerance for risk. These strategies include:

* Pursuing physical challenges: Sports like skiing, rock climbing and diving all carry significant risks. These pursuits can help you learn to assess risks more realistically as well as set and accomplish goals. Collaborating with a partner is central to many of these sports, so these sports can also help you learn to communicate more effectively. These are all valuable skills to have when it comes to learning how to raise capital and pitch to investors.

* Traveling: Even when you only travel short distances, you are positioned outside your comfort zone. When you travel to places where you don't speak the language, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. David deForest Keys noted that travel is excellent opportunity to sharpen your powers of observation. Business success often depends upon the ability to discover new opportunities in unfamiliar environments.

* Face-to-face communication with others: In these days of social media and texting, it's often easier to Tweet than to sit across a table. Electronic communication venues are good hiding places. However, advised David, it's vital to have real conversations with people. You learn a lot observing vocal inflections, body language and facial expressions.

* Building up a cash cushion: Most new businesses face problems with cash flow. Revenue flows have gotten even tighter through credit limitations kicked off by 2008 recession. David DeForest Keys has advised anyone thinking of going into business to start out with capital in the bank. Ideally, this amount will be able to cover a year's worth of operational costs. Service-based business models are generally less expensive to start than business models that require capital outlay.

• Interested in wealth creation: When all is said and done, entrepreneurs are motivated by the prospect of earning their own money. Entrepreneurs are individuals who have done the math and understand most working people live from paycheck to paycheck. Starting a business is a way to break this cycle and achieve some degree of financial autonomy.

David has provided confirmation of a central principle of entrepreneurship: no business is a guaranteed success. Every entrepreneur runs the risk of coming short based on economic downturns or their own discrepancies in leadership or financial management.

If your company is a success, you need to think whether you want to sell the company or continue working. As David DeForest Keys has noted, there are advantages to each of these strategies depending upon your long-term goals.

David deForest Keys is presently a principal with 3PS Partners. This company designs and distributes software and Internet solutions for healthcare continuing education services.

Continuing education for healthcare providers is at a critical stage. The cost of developing continuing education modules is so high that commercial providers increasingly dominate the field. According to recent research from the University of Michigan Medical School, over 50 percent of accredited CME providers are commercial companies. In the past, CME providers were mostly hospitals and medical schools.

Physician income is falling. This dip could have an impact on physicians' ability to pay for continuing education classes. They may no longer be able to attend CME classes where registration fees are high.

By providing designers of continuing medical education classes with access to efficient platforms, 3PS Partners can bring down costs. 3PS Partners platforms can allow medical schools and hospitals to create and produce education models for affordable prices. These platforms could make their offerings competitive with the services provided by commercial continuing medical education providers.

Hospitals and medical schools are probably well-suited to provide education to physicians. 3PS will allow providers to produce a fully-functional educational model at an affordable cost. Physicians and other healthcare providers will be able to afford the registration costs for an e-learning class. David deForest Keys will continue his leadership and involvement within the medical education field at this critical juncture.